Chrystia Freeland says she has the “confidence” she needs to continue serving as deputy prime minister and finance minister, after reports of “tension” between her and the prime minister’s office over her handling of the economic file.
“To serve as minister in a cabinet, you do need the support and confidence of the prime minister. That is especially true for the deputy prime minister and finance minister,” Freeland said Tuesday at a news conference in Markham, Ont.
“I do have the confidence that I need to do my job.”
Freeland was asked repeatedly about the growing speculation related to her political future.
“I spend very little time feeling sorry for myself,” she said. “I know that there are millions and millions and millions of Canadians who work much harder than any of the dignitaries standing behind this podium and who do it for less money and less acclaim,” she answered.
The question stemmed from a report in the Globe and Mail about the currently “tense” relationship between the finance minister and prime minister’s office.
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According to the Globe, the PMO says Freeland has been “ineffective at selling the government’s economic policies” as the Liberals’ popularity continues to tank.
The Globe and previous reporting from the Toronto Star said the former governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England Mark Carney is being recruited as Freeland’s possible successor.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about the possibility of replacing Freeland with Carney, but insisted she has his “full confidence.”
“In regards to Chrystia, she has been a close friend and ally and partner in doing really big things for Canada and will continue to be,” Trudeau told reporters last Thursday at the NATO summit in Washington, D.C.
— with files from Craig Lord
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